Bolivia to play Brazil in Libertadores Cup

LA PAZ, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Bolivian team The Strongest will travel Tuesday to Brazil, where it is set to play Brazilian team Atletico Paranaense Thursday in Group 1 games of the 2014 Libertadores Cup, a sports official said Monday.

The Bolivian team coach Eduardo Villegas said at a press conference in La Paz his team will hold a light training session in host city Curitiba prior to the match, to be held at 7 p.m. local time (2300 p.m. GMT).

The team's rivals in the regional tournament are led by Spanish coach Miguel Angel Portugal.

Villegas said players Daniel Vaca, Abraham Cabrera, Diego Bejarano and Walter Veizaga will not be able to play against Paranaense because they were expelled during the South American Cup match against Paraguay's Nacional in last August.

All four banned players are key, lamented Villegas, saying he has prepared a different team for this match, with goalkeeper Andres Jemio replacing Vaca in the lineup.

Defender Jair Torrico, meanwhile, has been under medical observation since he blacked out on Feb. 7 after colliding against a player in a local league match.

Players Nelvin Soliz, who has recovered from an injury, and Daniel Chavez, have already begun to train and will be able to play, he said.

Group 1 also includes Argentina's Velez Sarsfield and Peru's Universitario de Deportes, who will play each other on Feb. 11 in Lima.

This year marks the 20th time The Strongest competes in a Libertadores Cup, and while it has played against Brazilian teams on eight occasions, it has never faced Paranaense before.

The initial round of the Libertadores Cup will see 12 teams play between Feb. 12 and April 9. The top two teams in each group will then qualify to advance to the second round.